Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-03-15
Yesterdays Appalling Accident.

accident on the D5Gham Branch OF the Bos'
ton and Providence Railroad, near Boston,
an account OF which appeared in yesterdays
GAZETTE, exceed seventy, of whom oyel
thirty were killed outright, and others have
since died. One Of the passengers gives the
following thrilling story of his experience
There was absolutely nothing to give pre-
monition OF the disaster. All ut once there
Was crash deaiening noise moment or
TWO Of the grinding of tinbers, and then for
moment all WAS still 1t had come
with such awful suddenness that every
body seemed to be paralyzsd. Then
arose a confusion of sounds from the
wrecked cars below. Voices were calling
out for help, women were screaming Tor aid,
while all around us there were grcans lroT.
those who were badly hurt Or dying. The
| floor Of one car seemed to be forced up 10
the roof, the entire coach having collapsed
apparently. When tho crash came our
heads were banged against the roof, while
the seats were strewn about everywhere.
Many people fell under the seats and some
were crushed between them Directly IN
| front Of us sat man named Ryan, one OF
my neighbors in Roslindale. We were con
versing with him at the moment OF the
crash. Ryan was half turned in mis- seat as
he talked, and the moment after the wreck,
when / saw him again, he was actually run
through and through by spinters from the
bottom of the car My mother and | were
fastened in between our seat and Ryan's,
but managed to break oil Ryan's acat and
release ourselves NJ mother bad tainted,
and at frat | thought she was dead pulled
her out through window and she soon re.
| vivei in the ynen air then secured car
rage and sent her home, and devoted my
self to helping release other passengers
The sight among the debris was horrible.
There were many people dead, pinned
down by timbers; many wounded. All were
horribly mangied. ] saw one man working
like Trojan to help others. The top OF
his scalp and his left ear were nearly torn
from his head and he was covered with
blood, but he did not realize it. After al
l'had been removed from the car ha was work
ing in. some one told him that be muat be
badly hurt himself He said he thought MOI;
that ne had only received o scratch. he
put his hand To his head, and The next mo
ment tainted away aud was conveyed TO
neighboring house. He was pretty badly
hurt. The train was running q; coed speed,
hut had slowed up some as il neared the
| junction at Forest Hill. Tie quickness
with which the crash came was remarkable,
it came in an instaut-hkc flash OF light
nipg."
The train was ono OF the largest aud heav-
lest on the morning list. That morning, a1
usual. the train was heavily loaded, and the
last three cars were filled with passengers,
who had taken the train at Dedham and
the stations between there and Forest Hill
From the location of the wrecked cars it
would seem That the first three cars passed
over the bridge safely. The structure evil
IDENTIFY gave way when tho fourth car waa
passing over it. The five rear cars went
through to the roadway, landing in mass
of splinters in the street. The strain Of the
five falling cars pulled tho three coaches in
advance from the rail. They remained on
top CT the embankment, nut were pulled oil
their trucks, ana the floor Of each WAS
forced nearly TO the roof, while theseats were
| iumDled together IN great confusion. Inc
end of the second coach was Il mass
of splinters, caused by the car ahead grind
ing against it when the others went down
the embankment The third coach was
Hattened to the gcouud, as il it had fallen on
lis trucks from great height although it
remained on the edge of the embankment.
The roof Of the fourth car also remained on
the embankment, having evidently been
torn from its inslcniugs where the coach
went through. The next four cars vent
down in heap the smoker, which was on
the rear OF the train, falling in The midst OF
| tho coaches, and being actually ground into
small saintors. The inmates of the smoker
we're ali either killed Oh injured not Que
escaping without injury of some Kind. Two
| of the coaches went clear across the r0ad
way, landing against q stone wall that
bounded large field st the foot OF bill.
As the cars lie in their present location they |
present picture of sncn absolute
demolition that it seems markable
that any person in them escaped
alive. Cushions from the seats were
scattered over the ROADWAY and lnto the al
| jacent pasture, while car wheels and trucks
were distributed in all directions In the
mass of splinters in tae roadway were pools
of blood, and occasionally portion Ct u
body could be seen, sometimes fastened be
tween timbers, as ii actually eouged from
some victim. Conductor Tilden was IN tho
third car, which remained on top OF the era
bankment, and on the ground directly rn
derneath where he WAS standing when kill
ed was pool Of blood, while hef Of tbs
debris Of that coach was spattered with
blood Underneath this coach were picked
up the breast and lungs OF q human being,
possibly portion of the condnctora body
That the horrors OF lire were not added 10
the terrible disaster was due to the prompt
ness with which relief was sent. The chem
ical engine from Roslinda!e WAS at the scene
within twenty minutes after !howreck occur
red, brought by letter-carrier who gave an
alarm of fire upon observing flames issu
ing from the debris. Che flames we're sooo
extinguished, and the fremen then did ex-
celent work in rescuing the injured. The
stoves in all the cars were securely fastened
to the floors by iron bolts and the doors OF
the stoves were locked. In only one Cit,
did the stoves upset, although in one in
stance stove was smashed clear through!
the roof of thu car in which it had bsen
The news of the disaster spread through
the city. and in fact through ali tina.
section, very rapidly, and in short
time the wreck was surrounded By an i'm
mense crowd of people. attraclc;. by curioa
ity or in search of relatives and friends,
whila evarv train 10 tho yiCinitC of thu